Friday, December 31, 2010

T POLY TO TRAIN AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS (PAGE 11, DEC 31 2010)

THE Takoradi Polytechnic will sign a memorandum of understanding next year, to begin the training of aircraft maintenance technicians with the assistance of the Aircraft Maintenance Training Institute of Florida, in the United States of America, the Rector of the Takoradi Polytechnic, Rev. Professor Daniel A. Nyarko has announced.
He said the polytechnic was expected to secure accreditation from the City and Guilds of the United Kingdom soon to run specialised training programmes in the fields of welding, fabrication, logistics, transport, freight forwarding and clearing, and warehousing, among others.
Rev. Prof. Nyarko said the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) through the Canadian High Commission in Ghana, was working out a similar package for the Takoradi Polytechnic.
The Rector announced this at the 10th congregation of the polytechnic in Takoradi at the weekend.
“We cherish these collaborative relationships. A lot more institutions and individuals are showing remarkable interests in Takoradi Polytechnic and are holding talks with us towards collaboration to run new programmes or assist us in human resource and infrastructural development,” he said.
In order to take advantage of the current goodwill, he said a new outfit to be known as the Office of International Programmes and External Relations would be created next year to co-ordinate all such activities.
He said plans were far advanced for the Bachelor of Technology degree to be awarded in conjunction with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Cape Coast as appropriate and that the polytechnic had been assured of affiliation by the two universities.
“Takoradi Polytechnic hoped to receive accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) to run a new Bachelor of Technology programme in Civil Engineering soon”, he assured.
For the 2010/2011 academic year, he said the institution had introduced two new programmes in printing and procurement.
The Rector noted that efforts at placing Takoradi Polytechnic on the world map of technological institutions required that academic quality assurance was given priority attention.
To this end, he said the polytechnic had strengthened itself and would continue to upgrade the capacities of its human resource at the Academic Quality Assurance Unit towards achieving efficiency and effectiveness.
In 2011 and the years ahead, he said Takoradi Polytechnic would strive to be ISO-9001 compliant in terms of its quality management system, just as it was required of all tertiary institutions in Kenya.
He explained that such rigorous academic quality assurance measures had, to a large extent, helped to eliminate the incidence of victimisation of students by lecturers and had reduced human errors too in its record-keeping.
Rev. Prof. Nyarko said a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) software designed to manage student admissions, registration, and academic records would be installed in January 2011 to enhance its quality management system.
He expressed the polytechnic’s sincere gratitude to Tullow Ghana Limited and the Jubilee Partners for their approved initial two-year assistance for the new Mechanical and Electrical Engineering programmes about to begin.
The support, he explained, comes in the form of investment in new laboratory equipment, syllabi for process operations and instrumentation and control at the Higher National Diploma (HND) level.
He, therefore, appealed to the Ghana National Petroleum Company to help fast-track the process for the polytechnic.
Rev. Prof. Nyarko said the recent developments on the labour front in the polytechnics called for a sober reflection on the relevance of polytechnic education to the socio-economic development of the country.
“If we accept that polytechnics have a key role to play in meeting the middle and high-level manpower needs of the country, then the polytechnic lecturer deserves better conditions of service than it is currently the case,” he pointed out.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

2 GHACEM FACTORIES TO INCREASE PRODUCTION CAPACITIES (PAGE 22, DEC 30, 2010)

GHACEM Limited is to increase the production capacities of its two factories in Takoradi and Tema at a cost of 20 million Euros, to produce quality cement to meet the rising demand, particularly in the Western Region as a result of the oil find.
The management of the company has anticipated that various forms of infrastructure relating to housing, road construction, offices, bridges and more would be undertaken to support the emerging oil and gas industry.
The current capacity of the Takoradi plant is in excess of 1.2 million tonnes per year, which is the same as that of the present production capacity in Tema.
The expansion will provide additional 650,000 tonnes to increase the capacity in Takoradi to 1.9 million tonnes per annum.
Similarly, the Tema factory would be expanded with additional 650,000 tonnes per annum and it is expected to take off from the first quarter of 2011 and will be commissioned in the third quarter of 2012, while the expansion of the Takoradi factory is expected to take off soon.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ghacem Limited, Mr Jean Marc-Junon, announced this at the meet-the-press session in Takoradi.
He said the board and management of Ghacem would like to associate themselves with the success of the emerging oil and gas industry.
“In this context, we see a clear need to increase the production capacity of the Takoradi plant,” he stated.
Mr Marc-Junon said the expansion programmes in Tema and Takoradi demonstrated Ghacem’s efforts in consolidating its position as the leading cement manufacturer in Ghana.
“Ghacem has been in existence for the past 43 years and is committed to the production of quality and affordable cement in Ghana,” he emphasised.
Mr Marc-Junon said as already demonstrated for the past six years, Ghacem was committed to the use of local raw materials for the production of cement in the country.
“Ghacem’s first use of local limestone was in 2004 with supplies from the Eastern Region and our cement has since that time been produced with local component of about 25 per cent,” he explained.
Mr Marc-Junon said Ghacem had already started mining and supplying limestone from the Jomoro District in the Western Region to the Takoradi factory, in collaboration with Multiwall Paper Sacks Limited, a company belonging to Dr J.A. Addison, an Industrialist.
He said the combination of regional limestone supplies and considerable expanded capacity at Takoradi factory clearly showed Ghacem’s commitment to the Western Region.
The board chairman emphasised that Ghacem would continue to value the importance of corporate social responsibility and uphold the donation of cement to deprived communities in respect of education and health infrastructure development through the initiative of Ghacem Cement Foundation.
According Mr Marc-Junon, since the inception of the Ghacem Cement Foundation in 2002, a total of 270,000 bags of cement with an equivalent market value of about GH¢2,700,000 had been donated to about 1,600 deprived communities across the length and breadth of the country.
He stated that Ghacem was not against competition, adding “indeed competition enables every producer to improve on its productivity for the betterment of the final consumer.”
Mr Marc-Junon, however, stressed that what Ghacem was appealing for was competition on a level playing field for all competitors, adding “Ghacem will therefore continue to petition where there is a clear case of unfair trade practices culminating in unfair competition.”
Giving a brief background of Ghacem, the Managing Director, Mr Morten Gade, said the company was established in 1967 as a joint venture between the government and Norcem, and later became Scancem.
He said Scancem became the majority shareholder of Ghacem in 1992 and that in 1999, Scancem became part of Heidelberg Cement Group I Germany.
Mr Gade said the company recognised the importance of good partnership with key stakeholders in its business such as the media.

ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI HONOURS 217 EMPLOYEES (PAGE 30, DEC 30, 2010)

ANGLOGOLD Ashanti (Iduapriem Mine) Limited has honoured 217 of its employees in acknowledgement of their hard work, steadfastness, honesty and diligence of service rendered to the mining company.
The workers, who have worked between five years and 20 years received a total of 116 table top fridges, 35 double-door fridges, 30 deep freezers, 20 21-inch colour television sets, 20 bags of cement, five four-burner gas cookers and 19.5 packets of roofing sheets, all valued at GH¢100,000.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem Mine) Limited, Mr Billy Mawasha, said the long service awards commenced in 1995 to reward deserving employees who had served between five and 30 years.
He said in 2004, the qualifying years for the award was changed to five, 10, 15 and 20 years of service and so was the value of items.
Mr Billy Mawasha said the company believed that “people are the business and it is for this reason that the company has this time round put premium in honouring its employees who have demonstrated commitment to duty, even in difficult and good times alike all over the years.”
“The loyalty and dedication of our employees came to the fore when we were faced with the tailings storage facility challenge,” he said, adding that “employees galvanised themselves to quickly provide an interim tailings storage facility which has kept us going thus far.”
“Indeed, the concern and support from employees to management during those challenging times was up and beyond, for which we say ‘ayekoo’ to the gallant workers of Iduapriem,” he stressed.
Mr Mawasha emphasised that their continued commitment over the years represented the foundation of the future they were striving to achieve for Iduapriem and urged the workers to put in everything to enable the company to achieve its annual target of 20 days additional bonus.
The managing director said the recognition should serve as a motivation for them to work even harder and smarter to change the fortunes of the company, adding that “there is still work to be done. Long service award, however, does not mean retirement. It is just a token of our appreciation for the value you have added to Iduapriem over this years.”
Mr Mawasha assured the workers that the company would continue to create a conducive environment for employees to reach the highest level in their career, and that it would not relent in its effort to ensure that welfare programmes designed for the workers were sustained and improved upon as the company produced more to justify the increase.

WORLD AIDS DAY HELD IN TAKORADI (PAGE 22, DEC 30, 2010)

IT was not for nothing that the 2010 World AIDS Day was held in Takoradi and the Western Region as a whole.
The reasons are that due to the discovery of oil and gas, the anticipation is that there would be an influx of people to Sekondi/Takoradi and the region in general.
The expectation is that there would be high population density in the twin-city and the region and an increase in the risk of HIV/AIDS infections.
The World AIDS Day was held on the theme: “Universal access and human rights: Action now.”
Available statistics indicate that the HIV/AIDS situation in the region is not encouraging and therefore, if appropriate intervention activities are not undertaken at the various workplaces and enterprises level, the negative effect may be too enormous to bear.
The regional HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has been erratic and cannot therefore be ignored as far as the effect of the HIV/AIDS virus is concerned.
For instance, in 2004, the region recorded a prevalence rate of 4.7 per cent as against 3.2 per cent in 2005.
In 2006, the prevalence rate rose to 4.3 per cent and with the unrelenting efforts by community based organisations (CBOs), non governmental organisations (NGOs), district assemblies and other agencies, it reduced to 3.2 per cent and 2.9 per cent in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Unfortunately, the region recorded a 3.1 per cent prevalence rate in 2009, and what is more frightening is the unpleasant indication from the health sector report that the situation is likely to aggravate to much higher levels in 2010 and beyond if efforts at fighting the pandemic are not intensified.
Speaking at the function, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said that the choice of the region was not only because of the increase in the HIV incidence rate from 2.9 per cent in 2008 to 3.1 per cent in 2009, but also due to the fact that oil and gas had been found within the borders of the region.
He, therefore, said any negative impact that might arise from the oil and gas industry, as far as the behaviour of men and women was concerned, among others, would certainly have other telling effects on the regional economy before it trickled down to other parts of the country.
He said this year’s World AIDS Day should provide an opportunity for all individuals, communities and political leaders to take action towards making universal access a reality, adding that “it is also about increasing awareness, fighting, injustice and improving education.”
“On this day, we are filled with hope and concern. Hope because significant progress has been made towards universal access. Fewer children are born with HIV and a significant proportion of infected people are receiving treatment,” he stated.
Mr Aidoo said HIV/AIDS activities over the years had received strong political support from the national, regional and district levels, and down to the communities.
“I am, therefore, excited by the initiative of the Ghana AIDS Commission to deepen the knowledge of Ghanaians and find compelling solutions to confront any undesired situation when the production of the oil begins,” he said.
Mr Aidoo said it was important for people in the Western Region to prepare and plan against the challenges.
That, he said, could be achieved holistically when they all put their heads together to plan programmes and projects that would effectively deal with the HIV menace, while reducing its disastrous effects on the economy of the region.
“In line with this, management of ministries, departments and agencies, institutions and enterprises in the region are required to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on their workers, especially as it is reflected in such psychological manifestations as anger, depression, panic, blame, demoralisation and loss of direction, denial and sometimes tendencies resulting from stress,” he stressed.
Mr Aidoo urged them to formulate workplace policies and ensure that they were implemented to the benefit of their staff.
He said the protection of human rights was fundamental to combating the global HIV and AIDS menace, especially in Ghana, in view of the speculation of a higher incidence level due to the oil and gas find.
The Regional Minister stressed that the violation of human rights of people living with HIV, women and girls, men who had sex with men, injecting drug users and female sex workers, must therefore end.
He said the Regional Co-ordinating Council, through the Regional AIDS Committee, would also continue to provide the necessary leadership for the regional response and adopt an even more holistic strategy to respond to the pandemic in order to contribute significantly to the national response.
“Our resolve to prevent new infections and further reduce the current regional prevalence rate of 3.1 per cent must be nurtured to reality,” he emphasised.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

MPOHOR WASSA EAST, KADJEBI HONOUR BEST FARMERS (PAGE 22, DEC 24, 2010)

MR Emmanuel Egan from Domama in the Mpohor Wassa East District in the Western Region was adjudged the best district farmer at the 26th Farmers’ Day celebration held at Mpohor.
He received machetes, a wall clock, a radio cassette player, a pair of wellington boots, a sewing machine, full piece wax print, a spraying machine , a corn mill and a certificate.
A total of 29 farmers, institutions and organisations in the Mpohor Wassa East District received various awards in recognition of their hard work at this year’s ceremony.
Speaking at the function, the Mpohor Wassa East District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Anthony Bassaw, said a number of interventions had been initiated to enable farmers increase productivity.
He said the interventions included the mass cocoa spraying programme.
Mr Bassaw said the government was determined to support the cocoa sector to improve productivity by providing inputs and other chemicals to help increase cocoa yield in the country.
He said the District Cocoa Disease and Pests Control Project (CODAPEC) received inputs which were subsequently distributed to the existing 57 cocoa spraying gangs.
The DCE said the inputs included 54,000 litres of premix fuel, 2,600 boxes of Akatemaster insecticide, 1,100 boxes or 13,200 litres of Sidalco liquid fertiliser and 113 pieces of spraying machines.
In another development, Mr Thomas Fordjour-Ababio, the Headmaster of Kadjebi-Asato Senior High School was adjudged the Kadjebi District Best Farmer in small ruminants at this year’s farmers’ day at Asato-Kosamba, reports Emmanuel Modey.
For his prize, Mr Fordjour-Ababio took home a radio cassette recorder, a pair of wellington boots, bars of key soap, wax print, machetes and a spraying machine.
He was among the 18 outstanding farmers who were honoured at the ceremony.
Mr Fordjour-Ababio is engaged in large-scale poultry and crop production.

Monday, December 20, 2010

VEEP URGES T-POLY TO INTRODUCE OIL, GAS COURSES (SPREAD, DEC 20, 2010)

THE Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has called on the Takoradi Polytechnic to re-strategise and produce expertise that will be at the forefront of the oil and gas production to make the application of the local content factor more meaningful.
He said many opportunities existed in oil production such as the installation of gas processing and thermal plants, electricity transmission engineering, catering services and aviation services and that it behoved the polytechnic to train students in those areas.
Mr Mahama was addressing the 10th Congregation of the Takoradi Polytechnic in Takoradi at the weekend.
The polytechnic successfully turned out 2,318 graduates, who were awarded Higher National Diplomas (HND) and 71 civil engineering graduates, who received competency-based training (CBT) certificates.
He noted that the polytechnic, as an agent of development, should focus on its mission to produce more graduates to contribute towards the rapid socio-economic development of the country.
He advised the students to be innovative thinkers and think outside the box rather than accepting the status quo.
He announced that the government was coming out with a programme which would make financing the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) smoother than it was now.
The Chairman of the Takoradi Polytechnic Council, Dr George K.T. Oduro, said the recent inauguration of commercial oil operations in the country posed a great challenge to the Takoradi Polytechnic in terms of running programmes that were relevant to the oil and gas industry.
Aware of this challenge, he said the polytechnic had initiated a process of introducing an oil and gas HND and a certificate programme in conjunction with Tullow Oil Company.
Dr Oduro expressed regret that out of a student population of 8,500, less than 5,000 were residential students as a result of inadequate hostel facilities.
He was of the view that the GETFund was inadequate in meeting the needs of all public tertiary institutions and that it was worrying that some public-spirited individuals and institutions continued to call on government to review the GETFund Law to extend the facilities to private universities.
“Indeed, l acknowledge the contribution of private universities in the provision of education in Ghana but considering the current resource challenges facing polytechnic education in the country, l appeal to the government to hasten slowly in heeding these calls,” he appealed.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

LEGAL CHANGES WILL MAKE DLE EFFECTIE — MRS ADJALO (PAGE 13, DEC 13, 2010)

A MEMBER of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Rebecca Kabukie Adjalo, has explained that changes to the legal framework for the district level elections (DLE) are geared towards making the conduct of the elections more manageable and less expensive, while at the same time making the sub-structures more effective.
She said with regard to printing of ballot papers for elections, the printers develop plates which are very expensive and time consuming.
She further explained that in the upcoming district level elections, about 12,270 plates shall be developed, including 6,135 for the district assembly and 6,135 for the unit committee elections.
Mrs Adjalo who is in charge of the Western Region was speaking at a briefing of district officers of the Electoral Commission (EC), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Information Services Department (ISD) on the theme: “Harnessing the resources of the EC, NCCE and ISD for improved citizen participation in the 2010”.
The briefing was to upgrade the knowledge of the officers on the legal framework for the district level elections in the light of the changes to the law and share ideas on communication strategies required for effective public education and improve participation in the district level elections.
She said the second peculiar challenge was the inadequate interest of the media in doing public education, adding that the zeal with which the media publicise general elections was almost non-existence with the district level elections.
“Since DLE is non-partisan, there is formal absence of voter education machinery of political parties, because the individual candidates do their own campaigns,” she noted.
Mrs Adjalo said there were also constraints in having adequate numbers of platforms mounted to introduce candidates in the communities that constitute the electoral area.
She added that the time and resources available to the Commission were always not enough to mount the required number of platforms for the candidates.
According to her, the challenges of the 2010 district level elections had been further compounded by the changes to the legal framework for the elections.
Mrs Adjalo said with the brief period between the legal changes, (LI 1983 and CI 68 in November 2010) and the elections on 28th December, 2010; it becomes very difficult to inform the citizenry adequately of the legal changes by way of public education.
She said the Commission was also faced with the constraint of timely release of funds by the government.
She stressed that the challenges of the time called for a proactive stance by the Electoral Commission which was not only charged by the constitution in Article 45 to “conduct and supervise all public elections and referenda” but also to educate the people on the electoral process and its purpose.
The Western Regional Director of EC, Mr Steve Opoku-Mensah said the meeting was of specific significance, coming at such a critical period before the district level elections.
He said it would give them the opportunity to strategise to whip up the interest of Ghanaians to participate actively in the upcoming district level elections, since turnout at district level elections in the country had always been lower than that of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

Friday, December 10, 2010

ILLITERACY RATE HIGH IN WESTERN REGION (PAGE 35, DEC 8, 2010)

THE literacy level in the Western Region is 54.3 per cent. Female literacy level is 45.4 per cent, lower than that of male which is 64.4 per cent.
More than half (57.6 per cent) of the people currently in school are at the primary level while junior high school attendance is 15.2 per cent.
There is, therefore, a very high attrition rate between primary and junior high school (JHS) levels.
According to a presentation by a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, and Mr George B. Mettle on “Analysis of District Data and Implications for Planning—Western Region,” the region had seen some improvements in educational attainment and enrolment rates at the basic level over the last two decades.
They said people with basic education increased from 28 per cent in 1984 to 34 per cent in 2000 while over 70 per cent of the population in most districts had attained basic education.
However, the two professionals said that enrolment and attainment levels beyond basic were not very encouraging.
Apart from Shama-Ahanta East Metropolis now (Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis) and Wassa West (Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality) which recorded relatively low levels of illiteracy, all the districts have levels much higher than the regional average of 45.7 per cent, with the highest illiteracy levels in Juaboso, Bia and Aowin-Suaman Districts.
The region has about 1,320 primary schools, out of which 1,240 are public and 80 private; 694 JHS, about half the number of primary schools, and this constitutes 10.9 per cent of the total number of JHS in the country.
There are 42 senior high schools (SHS) in the region and most of them are concentrated in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis, where 36 per cent of the localities in the metropolis have such schools.
The situation is more serious in Jomoro, Nzema East and Mpohor Wassa East where more than 40 per cent of children in such communities have to travel 30 kilometres or more before attending SHS.
It was to help improve and promote education in the region that the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council, in collaboration with the chiefs and other stakeholders, established the Western Regional Education Trust Fund in 2005 and formed a Board of Trustees for the fund.
The 11-member Board of Trustees of the Western Regional Education Trust Fund has been re-constituted to promote the development of education in the region.
The objectives of the board are to assist brilliant, needy pupils and students, particularly in the public educational institutions, through the award of scholarships, bursaries and grants.
The board is also to improve the provision of teaching and learning materials, equipment and tools in schools.
Besides, the board is to provide incentives for the teaching and non-teaching staff who distinguished themselves and support special teaching and learning programmes and in-service training courses, especially in Mathematics, Science and English.
The main area of concern shall be primary education, even though the other levels of education could be considered depending on particular circumstances.
It is the conviction that when the primary level of education is strengthened through the provision of adequate resources, it will automatically make the other levels of education improve.
In the performance of its duties, the Board of Trustees of the Western Regional Education Trust Fund shall, among others, hold in trust for the people of the Western Region all funds, revenues and assets accruing in the name of the fund.
The board, without prejudice, will determine, approve and authorise the disbursement of benefits from the fund and, at a stakeholders meeting every July, present a report on its stewardship and financial statement on the trust fund.
Inaugurating the re-constituted Board of Trustees, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said the avowed aim of the board was to improve upon the present state of education in the region.
“You will agree with me that education in the region is beset with a number of challenges,” he said.
Mr Aidoo mentioned some of the challenges as children in basic schools who could not continue their education beyond the JHS owing to a number of reasons including financial constraints, while others from the deprived areas were unable to better their education due to inadequate resources in the schools.
Mr Aidoo observed that there were some children who should be in school but were out of school owing to the influence of “galamsey” activities in the mining areas and also fishing activities in the coastal communities.
“Now that the oil boom is around the corner, l hope many more children from the oil producing areas are not going to allow themselves to be distracted by oil related activities, which are likely to affect their education,” he said.
“They will rather avail themselves of the educational opportunities in the region so that they can be well positioned in the good jobs that the oil find will bring,” the regional minister added.
He, therefore, implored members of the board to deliberate on some of those issues and come out with acceptable strategies to address them since all those issues combined to affect education delivery in the region.
The Western Regional Director of Education, Mrs Rebecca Afiba Dadzie, called for interventions which would help strengthen basic education in the region.
That, she said, would help to get more students to the second-cycle and tertiary educational institutions.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Nana Adu Gyamfi, said with the calibre of members of the board, they would deliver to ensure the promotion and improvement of education in the region.

Monday, December 6, 2010

MINISTRY DRAWS PLANS FOR RAILWAY PROJECT (PAGE 67, DEC 6, 2010)

A Master Plan for the rehabilitation and construction of a nationwide railway project is being developed by the Ministry of Transport to be executed by the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.
The project is to integrate new railway lines with existing ones from Nsawam to Kumasi, Ejisu to Paga and Tamale to Yendi.
It also includes the supply of rolling stock, as well as the integration of the Tema-Accra and Accra-Nsawam railway lines on standard gauge and the rehabilitation of the existing Accra-Nsawam rail line, including the supply of diesel units.
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Aku Attivor, who announced the programme in Takoradi, noted that the operation of modern rail services had become highly competitive and that the survival of the Ghana Railway Services would require utmost efficiency and reliability.
Addressing the national executive council meeting of the Railway Workers Union in Takoradi, Mrs Attivor said the projects to be executed by the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation are expected to commence in 2011 under public-private partnership arrangements.
She said the rehabilitation of the Western Rail line was scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2011 and expected to be completed within one year, adding that offers had been received from some companies for the development of the Tema-Akosombo-Buipe Multimodal Transport and the Suburban Railway Services within the Accra-Tema metropolis under public-private partnership arrangements.
Mrs Attivor said it was the intention of the government to extend the commuter train services to densely populated areas such as Dansoman, Kasoa and Winneba on the Western Corridor and to Dodowa on the Eastern Corridor.
“Even as we are working to fulfil our side of the agreement, it is our expectation that workers demonstrate great dedication, honesty, hardwork and sacrifice, so that together we help build a better Ghana”, she advised the workers.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

HELP DEVELOP OSEIKOJOKROM — NANA OSEI (PAGE 42, DEC 2, 2010)

THE Chief of Oseikojokrom in the Bia District in the Western Region, Nana Osei Kojo, has called on the government to give the border town a facelift since many people visit it as a tourist destination.
He said even though schoolchildren and United Nations peace keepers from Cote d’lvoire usually visited the town for excursion or as tourists, the roads of the town and the local market did not befit the status of the town.
Nana Osei made the call when the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, visited the town as part of a four-day official working visit to the Bia District.
Nana Osei stressed the need for the government to extend water and electricity supplies to the newly developing parts of the town.
Mr Aidoo advised the chiefs in the area to make a layout for the orderly development of the town.
He also urged them to assist the government to curb the smuggling of cocoa to neighbouring Cote d’lvoire.
The regional minister later addressed security personnel at the Oseikojokrom Border Post and urged them to be vigilant by reporting all suspicious characters and activities to the National Security Council for prompt action, to ensure that the sovereignty of the nation was secured.
He said last year, everyone was embarrassed by the cocoa smuggling activities which was so alarming in the region, particularly at Elubo, Ahimakrom, Oseikojokrom, Enchi and Dadieso.
The Base Commander of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Chief Collector D.Y. Biyam, said the security personnel at the Border Post were enjoying stable and peaceful environment, and co-operation from other security personnel of the Cote d’lvoire side of the border.
He said smuggling of cocoa was under control, and added that there was virtually no smuggling at the border.
Mr Biyam said the terrible nature of the road network in the area had become disincentive to people who wanted to do business at the border.

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD BUILDS GUEST HOUSE NEAR TAKORADI (PAGE 18, NOV 30, 2010)

THE Western Regional Council of the Assemblies of God Church has embarked on the construction of a three-storey building comprising 86 suites at Ituma, near Takoradi, to be used as a guest house.
The building will enable church leaders as well as the public to have an opportunity to retreat and reflect on various ventures and endeavours.
The first phase of the five-year project, comprising the construction of the sub structure, is estimated to cost GH¢ 50,000 and it is located on a 12-plot lan.
At a short ceremony to cut the sod for the commencement of the project, the acting Western Regional Superintendent of the church, Reverend Francis Wusu Grand, said he believed that the project would be of enormous help to people in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
He said the Assemblies of God Church had a holistic mission of taking care of the spiritual and material needs of the society.
Reverend Grand stressed that the church would need the financial and prayer support of all members in the region to ensure the successful completion of the project.

TAKORADI NOW EXPENSIVE CITY...Due to oil discovery (PAGE 18, NOV 30, 2010)

THE discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities at the West Cape Three Points in the Western Region in 2007 has triggered the high cost of living in Takoradi and its immediate environs in recent times.
Since the oil find three years ago, the cost of living in Takoradi and surrounding communities has been on the ascendancy.
The discovery of oil has brought in its wake an upward review of prices of all items, goods and services being provided in the city.
The most affected items include food, office and residential accommodation as well as land for real estate development.
As a result of the oil find and in anticipation of making good business when commercial production of oil many companies, including financial and banking institutions, have moved in to open branches of their offices in Takoradi to take advantage of the “black gold”.
Also many oil and gas related companies have found their way into Takoradi. This has obviously increased the population in Takoradi and its environs, thereby putting pressure on the inadequate housing and office accommodation in the city.
Landlords have started charging exorbitant prices on their houses in anticipation of ejecting tenants to enable the landlords to rent such houses to the oil companies as well as financial and banking institutions.
High prices of goods and services, as well as residential and office accommodation are now having the characteristics of gold mining communities and towns such as Tarkwa, Obuasi, Bibiani, Bogoso, Prestea.
These characteristics are gradually creeping into Takoradi and its surrounding communities as a result of the discovery of the “black gold” in the Western Region.
Land acquisition in Takoradi and nearby communities, districts and municipalities in the areas of the Jubilee Oil Fields at Cape Three Points have also become a lucrative venture for land owners.
Some open spaces in Takoradi have been offered for the construction of office accommodation for oil or oil related companies and shopping malls.
The emerging petroleum industry is also affecting the prices of hotel accommodation in Takoradi, as some of the leading hotels in the “oil city” have reviewed their prices upwards.
The prices range between GHc 120.00 and GHc 310.00 and are likely to go up in the future when there would be an influx of people in the city to do business in the oil and gas industry.
To sum it up, the cost of living in Takoradi and its environs is gradually becoming unbearable as prices of goods and services as well as office and residential accommodation continue to rise.
So residents of Takoradi should be prepared and condition themselves to face the hard days ahead when the country’s oil and gas are in full production.

DON'T IMPORT USED UNDERGARMENTS (PAGE 18, NOV 30, 2010)

Over 130 used clothes dealers and importers in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis have been educated on the health implications that the sale of used undergarments pose to members of the public who use them.
The education was undertaken by the Ghana Standards Board (GSB), which has intensified its public education on the enforcement of the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1586, 1994 which prohibits the importation, distribution and sale of used undergarments, such as brassieres, pants, handkerchiefs and singlets.
The banned items also include, used mattresses and sanitary ware such as bathtubs, sinks, water closets or toilet bowls, among others.
The Ghana Standards Board has over the years observed that, importers of used clothing have been importing used undergarments which have been prohibited by the Ministry of Trade and Industry as stipulated in the LI 1586, 1994.
These prohibited goods are hidden among other used clothing such as shirts, trousers and jackets in the bales, thus making it difficult to detect them at the ports of entry, and are openly sold at the markets and along some streets in towns and villages in the country.
The GSB has, therefore, been working hard to stem the importation of these used undergarments through public education on the dangers of wearing used undergarments, engaging with stakeholders especially, the association of importers and dealers in used clothing and also intensification of market surveillance.
Speaking at the forum, the Director of the Inspectorate Division of the Ghana Standards Board, Mr F.Kofi Nagetey, said from February next year, all consignments of used clothing would be inspected by the Ghana Standards Board before they are released to the importers.
He said any consignment of used goods found to contain any used undergarments would be confiscated and destroyed.
Mr Nagetey added that the board would also organise swoops with the security agencies to get rid of used undergarments on the markets.
“The Ghana Standards Board believes that if all stakeholders work together, we shall be able to bring to the barest minimum, the importation and clearance of these used undergarments”, he noted.
He said used undergarments were a source of micro-organisms that could cause skin infection.
Mr Nagetey explained that the exercise was not meant to destroy anybody’s business, but was being done because of the risk involved in the patronage of used undergarments by some people.
He stressed that the programme would be intensified and sustained.
The Director of Trade Facilitation of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Ntim Donkoh said the LI 1586, 1994 was meant to protect the health and safety of consumers.
He said that though a law had been passed, those banned undergarments continued to be patronised on the open market, adding that the government would continue to enforce the law.